Problem?

[MerkFalc]

Here's a couple pictures from the side and from the front.

[JohnO]

Motor's at the right height. But that prop looks TINY! I'd bet that's your entire problem.

(I'm guessing that at sea trials you had the other prop on it right?)

[lakerunner]

Don't look like a pontoon prop

[jrolin1]

Is the trim anode missing? Probably not related to your speed problem but it can affect low speed handling.

[MerkFalc]

I'll have to check for the anode.

That was the prop that was on at the sea trial. There were 3' swells and we were more or less riding on top of them, I'm guessing that's why I was able to get the speed up to 43 and I didn't notice the trim.

It was suggested by Ken at propgods.com that I try a 19p mirage or quicksilver thunderbolt. After reading, it seems like the larger pontoons like the enertia and mirage plus. Should I try one of those two first? If 19p is a good pitch, should I spend a little more for that new eco enertia, or is a 19p too much?

[JohnO]

I run a 17P on a 175HP motor and it's perfect.

I think with a 250 you'd be able to turn a 19 with no problems.

[jayw]

Did you resolve this? Did you buy a new prop?

I run a Powertech OFS on my JC Neptoon with a Suzuki DF150, 18P, but the Suzukis are higher gear ratio (2.5:1). I think PowerTech makes a nice toon prop, and they've vastly improved in consistency. That said I am thinking about trying an Enertia ECO when they release the 17P.

I don't think you will like the way a regular Enertia handles load, as they seem to be smaller dimensions which is not great for load. 4 blades like the Powertech OFX or Merc Revolution may work out for you, with that 225 Merc, or the 3 blade Mirage Plus. ALL those are on my list of props to try.

My OFS was great out of the box, then I let a local prop guy muck with it and spent the whole last season cussing and kicking myself and trying to get him to tweak it back into spec. Finally this past winter I shipped it to Rich Junker at Leading Edge Props in FL (Ken at Prop Gods sent me to him) and now this year the prop is performing great again. He did a bang up job.

[MerkFalc]

I didn't realize anyone had replied since the last time I posted. I tried a 21p mirage plus that I borrowed to see what it would do. It ran 29 mph with 10 people, two ice chests, and a bunch of stuff on board at 4400 rpm and 33 mph at 4400 rpms with 2 people and nothing else on board. Really wish I had some boating friends or someone to try props with but I can't seem to find anyone around here.

[RcgTexas]

Dunno if its a problem for you but the little anode that is supposed to be above and just aft of the prop appears to be missing. It also adjusts to eliminate tork so the steering isn't pulling the direction of the rotation. If you have hydraulic steering you may have not noticed it.

Maybe a prop shop in Waco could help you with a loaner and that little tork adjustment as well. I d help but you are a ways from me here.

[MerkFalc]

I keep forgetting about the anode, but like you said I don't feel it. On a side note, I'm getting more comfortable with the motor and found that the the throttle wasn't opening all the way. Looks like I had about and extra 3/4" of throttle left. Also, the spark plugs are pretty dirty on a few of the plugs. I'm hoping the combination of the two will get me some higher RPMs. If not, I'll go back to trying to find a prop. One other thing, I verified the height of the motor this past weekend. I can see the top of the plate so it looks like that is good to go.

David

[MerkFalc]

I put the 17p back on this past week but had a full load on so I didn't really get to test things out. One thing I noticed is the trim gauge must not have been working before because I was able to trim up to about a quarter this time. The family is headed out of town this weekend so I'll have a chance to see how it performs. I'm going to bring the 21p also just to see what it does with an empty load and top down. If anything, it'll give me a reason to not mow:)